Deciding on Foreign Employment

Deciding to go overseas on employment is a wonderful opportunity which could reap immense benefits for you and your family. Finding employment abroad is relatively easier than finding employment locally making it an even more lucrative alternative.

It will improve the quality of your life

You could save enough money to buy a land or build a house, start up your own business or achieve a better living standard

You can fulfil the needs of your family

You could achieve the status and freedom you expect

You could acquire more / new skills which could be used to find employment or to start up your own business locally

You could also gain new technical and language skills

However lucrative or tempting it might seem, there are quite a few important things to consider before making a decision on migration.

1. Will the decision to go abroad on employment make you successful person?

2. What about the wellbeing of your children;

Is the caretaker of your children fit physically and morally, can he or she be trusted?

Will the health & wellbeing of your children (like Immunization, Illness and gender sensitive matters) be taken care of by this caretaker?

Will the children follow their day to day life (like schooling, extra activities) without any interruption?

3. In your absence, can your spouse continue a normal day to day life without interruption?

4. Can you or your spouse live without each other during your period of employment abroad?

5. Will it effect any one who needs your special attention like parents, children etc.?

6. Don’t you have jobs in Sri Lanka?

Did you consider them?

How can you acquire the necessary qualifications?

hat are the available jobs that would best fit you?

You must also remember that;

Once you are employed abroad, if you want to be repatriated on your own will or upon your family members request or because of an emergency, the cost of repatriation would be very high since the travel expenses will have to be borne by you.

The cost of finding employment abroad could be very high. You must consider all expenses such as the cost for the passport, cost of travelling, cost of initial preparation etc.

If you borrow a big amount of money by mortgaging or selling your property, you might have to work for a certain period under unfavourable conditions without being able to save money for yourself or if you have to return pre-maturely due an unforeseen reason you might loose the mortgaged properties

You might even loose the skills you currently possess if you go abroad for a different type of job which is less skilful (such as a clerical worker going abroad to work as a housemaid)